Reference
Glossary of OIF Terms
The vocabulary of the war, for veterans' families, students, and anyone reading about it.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Advise-and-assist brigade | Brigade organized under Operation New Dawn to train and support Iraqi forces |
| Awakening (Sahwa) | Movement of Sunni tribes that turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq, beginning in Anbar in 2006 |
| CAB | Combat Action Badge (Army), created 2005 |
| COP | Combat outpost, a small base inside a neighborhood or village |
| CPA | Coalition Provisional Authority, which governed Iraq from 2003 to June 2004 |
| FOB | Forward operating base, a larger secured base |
| Green Zone | The fortified International Zone in central Baghdad |
| IED | Improvised explosive device, the roadside bomb that caused many U.S. casualties |
| JSS | Joint security station, shared by U.S. and Iraqi forces during the surge |
| MiTT | Military transition team, advisers embedded with Iraqi units |
| MRAP | Mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle, fielded to protect troops from IEDs |
| OIF | Operation Iraqi Freedom, March 2003 – August 2010 |
| OND | Operation New Dawn, September 2010 – December 2011 |
| SOFA | Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq, signed November 2008 |
| Sons of Iraq | Local security groups, many drawn from former insurgents, paid by the coalition |
| Thunder Run | Armored raid into Baghdad in April 2003 |